Progress

"To have such Diamond-Grade Battle Suits, and three of them at that, plus these men would rather die than reveal the truth—soldiers this loyal could only be trained by one of those official organizations," Guen said, his gaze heavy.

The Forest Goddess Temple, the Council of Elders, and the Imperial Council—these were the three giants of the Aoyu Empire.

Chen nodded, then seemed to think of something and added, "But it can't be the Forest Goddess Temple. I'm sure of it."

Guen glanced at Chen but didn't press further.

"Let's head to the rendezvous point first. I hope Uncle Jack and the others are alright. There are definitely more of those soldiers' accomplices lurking nearby," Guen said, listening to the earth-shaking sounds in the distance, knowing someone was still locked in battle with the Vajra Ape. "Let's find their mounts first. Can't let them go to waste."

Ferocious beasts that could serve as mounts had most of their wildness worn away, making them easy to seize and use for oneself.

As for the Diamond-Grade Battle Suits, they stripped them all off. Guen didn't take any, but Chen swapped out his own Gold-Grade suit for one.

After circling around, they easily found the three men's mounts.

The Yellow Lion Tiger was a standout among mid-tier Magic Beasts. It wasn't known for combat prowess but for its speed and endurance, along with strong reproductive capabilities.

"These look like the empire's military favorite mounts," Guen said, blinking. The Aoyu Empire's research into forging and Secret Methods was lacking, and with the massive number of Ferocious Beasts in the environment, taming them had become the choice of every cultivator here.

The Horned Boar Beast was the most typical example.

Low tier, strong endurance—even Low-Tier fighters dared to ride them into battle.

As for taming mid-tier Magic Beasts, only the three official organizations had that capability.

Especially the Yellow Lion Tiger—it was a Ferocious Beast that didn't exist in nature.

"It seems they weren't bothered to hide their identity," Chen said with some amusement. They'd been guessing who the enemy was, but now seeing the Yellow Lion Tiger, the answer was obvious.

The Forest Goddess Temple was skilled at raising Mount Eagles and Moon Tigers. The Council of Elders chose Biao Mountain Leopards. Only the Imperial Council, lacking in taming technique, had bred the hybrid Ferocious Beast, the Yellow Lion Tiger.

Behind the Imperial Council stood the royal family of the Aoyu Empire.

How had Uncle Jack gotten tangled up with the royal family?

With that question in mind, Guen and Chen pressed on toward their destination.

Every night in the Starlight Forest, the entire woods were shrouded in a hazy glow, looking from afar like starlight. But beneath that light, Ferocious Beasts grew more noticeably, which was why so many High-Tier Ferocious Beasts had gathered here.

Crossing the forest, they encountered many High-Tier Ferocious Beasts along the way.

Still, most were Tier 7 Ferocious Beasts. Even when they ran into a Tier 8, Guen and Chen would dodge first—Tier 8 Ferocious Beasts were far tougher than humans.

Against a Tier 8 Warrior, Guen still had a chance of victory.

But a Tier 8 Ferocious Beast was a real pain to deal with. Once a fight started, it took a long time to seriously wound it, and other Ferocious Beasts would close in. Even if they won, the situation would be precarious.

So for Tier 7 Ferocious Beasts, if there were no others nearby, Guen would use them to hone himself.

When encountering a Tier 8 Ferocious Beast, he simply avoided it.

As for Tier 9 Ferocious Beasts, they were rare in the Starlight Forest. That day they'd run into the Vajra Ape, and with someone lurking in the shadows, they'd had no choice but to scatter and flee.

Along the way, Guen actively sought out these Ferocious Beasts. He needed to refine his techniques, and he needed an outlet for his emotions.

The benefits were obvious—Guen's fist techniques had improved again.

He could now execute forty-seven forms of the Hundred Refinement Fist. Each new form he mastered added ten percent more power to his strikes.

"Training like this really is the most effective," Guen said, exhilarated.

At home, his parents would sometimes bring him powerful Ferocious Beasts or find heinous warriors for him to practice on, but with them watching over him, the results were good at first, then gradually slowed.

From the fortieth fist to the forty-fifth, it had taken Guen over two years.

But from the first fist to the fortieth, he'd only needed three years. Now, he finally felt that same rapid progress again.

"Real combat really does push improvement far better than training in isolation."

Guen and Chen cleared the area and began to rest.

Guen used the time to cultivate.

Threads of Cosmic Energy slowly seeped into his body.

Cosmic Energy was everywhere. In the universe, it was endless. Absorbing this energy strengthened the body and granted greater power.

What the so-called organizations offered that most attracted ordinary people was the technique for absorbing Cosmic Energy.

Different techniques had vastly different absorption efficiencies. Some people might train for years and still fall short of another's single year—largely because their absorption method was inferior.

Of course, the biggest factor was still the individual.

The body had a limit to how much Cosmic Energy it could absorb, like a person who was full and couldn't eat another bite. Making the body hungry was one way to increase training speed.

His father Kolong had told him that the tiny parts making up the body were called cells, and right now those cells were devouring Cosmic Force, making his body stronger. After intense combat, those cells were starving, and Cosmic Energy flowed into them endlessly.

Training after a fierce battle felt very comfortable to Guen.

"Guen really is diligent. He won't waste even a moment. No wonder he's so strong," Chen sighed, stroking the Diamond Unicorn.

Most people in the Aoyu Empire had black hair; other colors were rare.

Guen's red hair and Chen's green hair stood out anywhere.

Chen squinted, half-lying on the Diamond Unicorn. Even he was slowly absorbing wisps of Cosmic Energy, breathing rhythmically as it entered him. The amount was far less than Guen's, but it was steady and didn't require focused effort.

After a long time, Guen finally let out a long breath of turbid air.

Seeing Chen cultivating, he couldn't help but walk aside and start practicing his fist technique on his own.

The Hundred Refinement Fist, without grasping its essence, was just an ordinary set of punches. Practicing it over and over again slowly allowed one to sense the state of force exertion within the body, but it couldn't be used in combat. Still, repeated practice was quite helpful.

However, every time he reached the forty-eighth punch, Guen felt something was off, unable to complete the strike fully.

"The Hundred Refinement Fist isn't simple. According to my father, the Ape-man Race is a huge clan. Any one of its branches has more members than many human races. Some branches are very strong—adults are equivalent to Super Tier Planetary Level—yet they still cultivate the Hundred Refinement Fist. It's the easiest way to increase the Force Multiplier and is the most important basic fist technique among the Ape-men."

So Guen practiced over and over again. His movements seemed slow and calm, but in reality, each punch exerted maximum force. Only this way could he deeply feel the state of his body when exerting force, which was very helpful for comprehending the next punch.

Being able to contain and control power subtly was also proof of skill.

"You're done. Get ready. Tomorrow we'll enter the Golden-Bearded Mastiff's territory. Only three days have passed since Uncle Jack's five-day deadline. Let's scout the situation here first," Chen said, seeing Guen practicing his fists. He opened his eyes and made the suggestion.

"Mm. Now that we're near this area, I've clearly noticed a lot more people. From now on, I won't go looking for High-Tier Ferocious Beasts to hone my combat skills anymore," Guen nodded.

Seeing this, Chen narrowed his eyes again and continued his unique form of cultivation.